home cooked dinners by the season

Spring Greens with Chicken and Lemon Thyme Buttermilk Vinaigrette

I’m back and I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. I really hope you haven’t stopped relying on my recipes and wandered off somewhere else looking for dinner inspiration. Here it comes.

I found new salad recipe ideas in several places, some in Seattle and some a bit farther away. I’m seeing more use unusual and healthy ingredients. And using ingredients like ancient grains, lentils and unusual vegetables for salads.

This salad was inspired by a charming restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe, California called Thyme in the Ranch.

Jicama was in several of their salads. This happily reminded me how much I have always loved jicama. I’m not sure why, but I’d just forgotten about it.

If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a root vegetable with a tan exterior and creamy white interior. Its crisp and kind of starchy texture is just wonderful in a salad. Jicama is also good just sliced and plunged into your favorite dip. The skin can be a bit hard to remove so I use a paring knife rather than a vegetable peeler. You’ll find it in the produce section near the potatoes and onions in most grocery stores.

Baby salad greens – I like their size and flavor. Promise me at least 30 minutes before eating them you’ll take the time to “prep” them. This means rinsing with cold water, spinning out excess water preferably with a salad spinner and refrigerating. No matter how pressed for time I may be, I always try to do this because crisp salad greens are a must.

It’s a little bit of science at work in addition to making your greens more attractive to eat. By osmosis, the salad greens literally drink up the water clinging to the leaves and end up crispy and crunchy.

Here’s my best tip for preparing cooked chicken to have for a salad. It’s so easy. I take boneless, skinless chicken breasts – I always start with organic free-range – pound them to an even and thin thickness, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and broil. It’s a consistent method and you can make several ahead and have them in your refrigerator for spur of the moment salad making, enhancing a pasta dish or just sprinkling with salt and pepper and eating with your fingers. See the pictures below for how I prepare it.

And the walnuts! I like to give them a little caramelized sugar flavor by heating them in a saute pan with a little sugar. They add just the right amount of crunch and sweetness to the salad. The same method works for pecans or almonds if you want to change it up.

My last new idea is putting buttermilk in the vinaigrette dressing. I think my mom used to drink buttermilk in a glass. Or maybe I just thought that because she grew up on a farm. Regardless, buttermilk is getting attention for the great ways it enhances recipes. Along with grated lemon zest and chopped thyme it adds just the right flavor to the vinaigrette.

And to all the Mom’s out there – Happy Mothers’ Day. Celebrate yourself. No matter what that may be – I hope your day is exactly how you like it.

Put sugar and walnuts in a small saute pan over medium heat; cook and stir until sugar is melted and walnuts are lightly browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to parchment or wax paper, spreading out in a single layer. Allow cooling to room temperature.

Remove hard outer peel from jicama. Grate jicama using a large hole on a grater; there should be approximately 2 cups.

wow ! love the step by step and Thank god your back online !!! Loved the recipes. and was wondering what to cook ! I am really looking forward to your posts .. Thank you so much for sharing your talent and creativity !

Would never wander away, but am so happy to have new recipes to try. You are definitely the inspiration for our meals. Amoff to thestorefor buttermilk. I have lemon thyme in my garden and now have a new use for it. Happy Mother’s Day to you from all of the grateful mother fans of yours.

So glad to see your new post, Linda. I’ve been traveling a bit and this salad looks So good after all the heavy food my body has been ingesting.
As you know, Paul is lactose intolerant. I’ve been playing with plain soy yogurt when a recipe calls for cream or sour cream. What are your thoughts on replacing the buttermilk? I’ve also been told plain coconut based yogurt is tastier than soy. Have you tried? If so, do you know where I can find it?
Happy Mother’s Day and I’m happy to see you back!

Linda, glad your back. My mother and lots of older people in the south love cornbread in a glass of buttermilk. I use a lot of buttermilk in making cornbread and biscuits so I can’t wait to try the buttermilk vinaigrette. Danette